St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-05-04
GONE OF THE VICTIMS.
The story of the Opening of the
Winnebago and Crow Creek Res
erVatiOnS


To the Editor of the Globe.
With your permission | will occupy small
portion OF your space in reply to an article
from Hammond, Wis, on the much-taked-of
Wtnnebaeo and Crow Creek reservation. To
persons acquainted with the facts in the case
the article would not be worth noticing. but
as persons reading it who are not so in formed
might be mSled were it allowed TO pass I'M
challenged, beg leave to state, for YOUR cor
respondents information (Which by the way
accordS well with the measure of
his sympathy, what ! know about the
| reservation. On Feb. %, or whereabouts.
OF the year 1885, the late President Arthur
by proclamation, declared those lands open
to settlement. copy OF this proclamation
appeared in every paper in the Northwest of
any Importance. and accompanying the
proclamation was statement-not ofIi-
| cial-that those lands would be sur
Veyed and in market in about
six weeks L will assume that your cores
pondent has sufficient knowledge OF the land
laws to know that a person can legally settle
on government land believing it to be such,
without the land being surveyed, so that
whether the settlers went on before
or after the land was surveyed did
not affect the validity of their action
On receipt OF the news in Pierre, Chamber
lam, Mitchell and the surrounding towns, of
the reservation being open, people rushed AT
night and in the small hours of the morning
to obtain choice locations before others
fiocked in from the surrounding states. Hear.
ing this the Indian agent, Gasman, not being
officially notified of its opening, ordered his
Indian police to drive the settlers off. which
| they did. i'll many eases burning their shan
| ties and all they contained. On seeing this
| some, who were more cautious than others,
| telegraphed to the territorial delegate al
Washington-the lameEted Mr.. RAYMOND
| for n confirmation of their authority in going
there and for information how to act. His
| reply, also by telegraph, which / saw and
| read, was substantially as follows:
II have seen the secretary of the interior
Those lands are legally and virtually open;
go on and select your homes; pay no atten-
| ton to the threats of Indian police; orders
| will be Immediately issued to have them
| called in to the agency"
| Would man of Mr.. Raymond's well-known
| integrity have sent that dispatch if he did not
| believe those lands virtually open to settle
| mentH-and we will suppose that he was a,
| least as good authority on the legal aspect OF
the question as your Hammond cores
| pondent. What must have been your cor
respondents object in writing the article
| referred to, fail to perceive.
1t could not have been an itching for loca
| celebrity, as he does not give his name; anC
| IL it was to gain information. he had more
| honorable methods open to him than by try.
! ing to deprive the innocent and unoffendng
victims of a mistaken policy of even the bar
| rem sympathy of every rational man in the
| land. As one of the victims | know
| whereof L speak, and if your correspondent
| is DESTROYS of obtaining data for future ref
erence will willingly furnish him with some
| which desire to avoid further intrusion
| causes me to withhold for the present
st. Paul, May l.. J.O'GRADY.